Michigan Vamp

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Eccentric Night Owl

Quote from Blood Read

"An ambiguously coded figure, a source of both erotic anxiety and corrupt desire, the literary vampire is one of the most powerful archetypes bequeathed to us from the imagination of the nineteenth century."~ page 2 introduction to Blood Read: The Vampire as Metaphor in Contemporary Culture

Intellectual Vampire Quote

"If the vampire is an other, he or she was always a figure in whom one could find one's self...the despicable as well as the defiant, the shameful as well as the unashamed, the loathing of oddness as well as pride in it."~ Richard Dyer

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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

I wrote Strike, because I got so tired of all vampire novels being the same. I love this genre, but there really aren't enough adult vampire novels around (they all seem to be written for tweens). I also got tired of the stereotypes. No matter which vampire novel you read, their motivation for turning humans isn't satisfactory - which is why Strike was born. Here is an adult vampire novel, which breaks every stereotype you've ever read about them, and maybe, after you get to read it, you'll finally have a decent motivation for the things they do.

About the Author

Gemma Rice is a new passionate Romantic writer whose words positively fizzle and crackle off the page. 'Clawback' was her first book. 'Strike' is her second. 'Blindsided', her third, will be released in May 2011.

Excerpt:

He catches my wrist and pushes back. I strain down, wanting him to at least feel the threatening kiss of cold tempered steel. Leaning in, he starts tickling under my arm.

Not fair!

Squealing loudly, I get up onto my knees to push down against his strength. His free hand forces a knuckle into my wrist. Instantly my hand goes limp; the knife drops from my fingers, landing next to his thigh.

Oh, it's a horrid feeling. Like hitting your funny bone. I try to pull away, but my arm is pathetic and weak. Useless. He easily pins me back down, resting his body over mine, before kissing me seductively.

I'm bored of the silent game. As he draws away, I whisper, "How did you do that?"

"Pressure points. You can render the biggest and strongest man useless, if you get to know them."

"Are we allowed to speak again?"

"Obviously, or I'd be holding your eye over that candle."

"My god, Seithe! That's a bit demented, don't you think?"

He leans heavily on me again and I stare up into brown eyes appearing charcoal. "Why do you assume you can trust me?"

"You haven't hurt me."

"Is that a sound reason to trust someone?"

He has a way of making me doubt my own judgement. I wonder what he's not telling me.

"Seithe, are you crazy? Did you escape from a sanatarium or something?"

He wraps an arm underneath me and flips us over so I'm laying on top of him, hot breath bursts out of him in laughter. "If I was insane, would I know it?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"I could lie."

"But you won't."

"Why not?"

"It's not your style. You like shocking people."

He smiles, forcing a dimple into the middle of his chin. "No, I am not crazy. I have only escaped hell. Nothing more, nothing less."

I reflect on his words on my being half dead and half awake. I don't feel that way now. He told me the key to freedom was in my heart. I think I understand the metaphor. He's escaped the hell of being only half alive.

"What are we doing, Seithe?"

"Playing. Humouring each other."

"Oh, so you find me entertaining? At least you're honest about it."

I feel slightly wounded. Although, let's be frank, it's not like he and I have been to the opera, followed by an in depth analysis of nuclear fission, and what it means to understand occultation.

He can't know I have a brain, so I am just amusement at this point.

I decide to respond using his game. Leaning my face into his neck, I mercilessly clasp the skin between my teeth. He starts to tickle me again, causing me to let go, just to bite into his shoulder.

He grips my hair so tightly I can't move. Lifting his head, he sneers those long incisors at me. For fake teeth they look a shit load more real than mine do. He then clamps them into my shoulder.

Pain shoots through me, unbearable heat, burning. A cry wrenches out of me in agony. He pulls away, blood on his lips, and hisses softly, "Don't start games you aren't prepared to finish."

I'm at just the right height and angle on him. I lift my knee and force my weight behind it. "Pain for pain, Seithe. Game on."

Would you like to win an ecopy of Strike?

The author is giving away one copy either in epub or mobi format

To enter leave a comment with your email and the format you'd like to win

I think your right about a lot of tween vampire books lately. There are some good ones but they never have that little bit more that I want ;) only the adult books have that...lol I'd love to win your book and see your dipiction of them. Please count me in for the mobi format if I win. Thanks.Tanyaw1224(at)yahoo(dot)com

I would love love love to win this. The excerpt is FAB! I don't have a e-reader, so I really don't know which format I would need to be able to just read it on my PC. I tried to figure it out online, but walked away more confused. LOL I would let the author pick for me. LOL Hope that is OK!Angie14earth at gmail dot com